Explosion
by MistressDarkness
Summary: Daredevil crouched on the rooftop, feeling the winds shift slightly. His head tilted to the side, listening for any sign of trouble. He wasn't prepared for the assault on his senses as a loud explosion rang in his ears, causing him to wince. He faced the direction of the explosion, focusing in on its location. Realization slammed into him, "Jessica," he breathed...
1. Chapter 1

Daredevil crouched on the rooftop, feeling the winds shift slightly. His head tilted to the side, listening for any sign of trouble: a scream, arguing, a gun cocking, metal clashing...

He wasn't prepared for the assault on his senses as a loud explosion rang in his ears, causing him to wince. He could feel the shockwave, even from this far away. The acrid smell of smoke traveled on the breeze. He faced the direction of the explosion, focusing in on its location. Realization slammed into him, "Jessica," he breathed before launching off of the rooftop, landing on the next building over. He ran, feet pounding the ground, jumping from roof to roof as fast as he could. He couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the blast, but it was within Jessica's block, and knowing her, she was probably the target. As Matt drew closer, he could hear the frantic yells of people from outside of the building, unsure of how to help. The heat from the flames grew in intensity, as did the smoke. Sirens echoed in the distance, still about 8 minutes away. They wouldn't make it in time.

Acting on instinct, Matt dove onto the fire escape, climbing down to the fifth floor. He grabbed the metal bars above him, swinging both of his feet forcefully into the window twice, hearing it crack and then shatter into tiny pieces. He stood inside the dingy apartment, trying to hear anything other than the crackling of the flames and smell something besides the thick smoke. "Damn it," he cursed in frustration, unable to pick up anything. "Jessica?" he called. "Jessica!" No answer. He spun around, trying to orient himself. Normally he described what he saw as a world on fire, but this, _this_ actually was the world on fire. Red figments danced in front of him, creating a dizzying array of patterns. The fire assaulted all of his senses. He couldn't even tell if he was in the right apartment. The weakening structure creaked and groaned; he wasn't sure how long an old building like this could withstand all of the damage it was taking on. He had to find Jessica and fast. The faint sound of coughing hit his ears, but it wasn't coming from the apartment he was standing in. He followed the noise, using his hands to feel around as he bumped into furniture and avoided walls. He hurried down the hall, coming to a door at the end of it. It wouldn't budge. Daredevil rammed his shoulder into it, the door flying off the hinges. A plume of smoke immediately blew in his face, causing him to cough as well. He covered his mouth and nose with his hand in a vain attempt to filter the polluted air. His feet kicked debris scattered on the ground. The entire apartment was overturned; this must have been where the explosion occurred. Moreover, that meant that this was probably Jessica's apartment. "Jess?!" A broken desk fell to the side, a figure covered in soot and ash sat up gagging. "Jessica?" he asked, rushing to the person's side. He knelt down in the powdery ashes, placing a hand on the person's back to help him/her sit up. Once his hand made contact, he was able to focus solely on the person beneath it, including her heartbeat, Jessica's heartbeat.

"Murdock?" she questioned, sounding confused. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving your ass. You're welcome by the way," he smirked smugly.

"Really?" she coughed. "Now's not the time to be an asshole."

He nodded, trying to take shallow breaths. "We need to get out of here." He began to scoop her up in his arms, but she easily pushed him away.

"I can't leave yet," she protested. Not that she would have let him carry her out like some damsel in distress anyways.

Matt stared at her in shock. "Neither of us will last much longer in here, we need to leave _now_ ," he stressed.

"I'm not leaving without Malcolm," Jessica said adamantly.

"Fine, you go and I'll get Malcolm."

Jessica pushed herself up off of Matt's shoulder to help her stand. "I can't..." she started, shaking her head, attempting to put her thoughts into words. "This is my fault, I won't leave him behind to suffer because of my fucked up life."

He stood next to her frowning. "This is not your fau-" he tried to assuage her of any guilt she was obviously feeling.

"Also not the time," she cut him off. "Can you hear any heartbeats in the building?"

"It's hard for me to sense anything in here."

"Concentrate Murdock."

"I have been," he said exasperated.

"Then concentrate harder!" A burning piece of the ceiling fell onto the floor next to them.

Matt stood still and closed his eyes, trying to block out the crackling flames, the smoldering embers, the intense heat, the suffocating smoke, the wale of sirens... "There's five people in the building besides us. I can't tell who they are specifically." His brows furrowed beneath his cowl. "And I smell blood. Jess, are you-"

"I'll heal," she coughed. "You get those other people out of here and I'll look for Malcolm." She couldn't let herself stop to acknowledge the fact that out of her whole entire apartment building, there were only five people still left alive.

Matt knew she was brushing off her injuries. Now that he was more focused, he could tell she was holding her abdomen with one hand and leaning heavily to one side. Her muscles and bones shifted, creaking as loud as the structure around them. He didn't want to leave her but she did have a point.

"I don't know how long this decrepit building will hold up so be quick!" she grabbed him by his suit roughly, "if the building is about to collapse then you get the fuck out of here, you understand me? No heroic martyr bullshit Matt, you _get out_." Her words left no room for argument. She refused to watch him be buried underneath another pile of rubble, watching him die again.

"No bullshit, got it," he wheezed out, the smoke filling his lungs. She released him.

Jessica hid her limp well as she moved towards the kitchen, wetting two washrags and throwing one to Matthew. He barely caught it in time, but it was enough for Jessica to notice. "Matt-" she began in a warning tone, about to tell him to forget about the other people and just leave now.

Daredevil knew Jessica had seen his slip up. "I can do this."

"You better be able to. Don't make me regret this," she threatened. "Keep the rag over your face to help filter the air. I'll meet you outside." Matt nodded, turning to leave. "And Matt?" He looked back in her direction. "Thanks."

Matt smiled, heading out the way he came in.

* * *

Luke put his dishes in the sink, too tired to bother with cleaning them tonight. Claire might not be too happy about that when she got home, but he knew she'd understand. The television switched over to breaking news. Luke walked towards it, his breath catching at seeing the familiar apartment building ablaze. "Sweet Christmas..." Before he could do anything, his phone rang. He grabbed it quickly, his heart racing at seeing Claire's name across the screen. Did that mean that Jessica was...

"Are you with Jessica?" he asked in lieu of a 'hello.'

"No," Claire sounded winded. "I just saw the news. I'm packing a medical bag and leaving the hospital. Meet me there."

"Okay. Be careful," he said, already heading out the door.

"You too." Claire hung up. She finished shoving things into her bag, then took off running down the hall.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I've rewritten/edited this chapter so many times I've lost count! Hopefully it's up to par now. Thank you for your reviews. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 2

"Come on," Matt coaxed a frightened child out from under her bed. "It's okay, I'm going to get you out of here." She crawled out slowly, hugging a small teddy bear tightly against her chest. He held out his arms to her in invitation, not wanting to scare her back into hiding. She jumped into his waiting arms. "I've got you," he whispered reassuringly. He pressed her head into his shoulder, shielding her from the smoke and flames surrounding them. He ran to a nearby window, somehow managing to avoid most of the obstacles in his way. He hissed when his knee banged into the corner of a dresser. Matt climbed out onto the same fire escape he had led three others down only moments ago. Ambulance sirens whirled as it quickly pulled up to the scene. Matt rushed over to it, a paramedic exiting the vehicle. "This girl and those three people," Matt pointed towards the small group huddled on the curb, "were trapped inside. They're all suffering from various injuries as well as smoke inhalation." The paramedic nodded, instructing his partner to attend to the adults waiting on the sidewalk. Matt tried to pry the girl off of him, but she wouldn't budge, finally feeling safe for the first time since the fire started. He knelt down, setting her feet gently on the ground. "I know you're scared, but these nice people need to look you over to make sure you're okay."

She nodded, wiping her eyes. "What about mommy?"

Matt gritted his teeth, having almost tripped over the burnt body of her mother when he had retrieved the girl. It had looked like the woman was trying to get to her daughter, but the flames got to her first. "I don't know sweetheart." He hated lying to her, but he needed to go find Jessica and Malcolm. At his nod, the paramedic picked her up, placing her on a gurney and attaching an oxygen mask to her. Daredevil pulled him off to the side, "her mother died in the fire. Find her father or next of kin. She's going to need them here when she finds out."

"Yes sir," the paramedic responded. "Despite what the police may say, we see what you do for this city and its people, and we're grateful." Matt smiled, giving the man's shoulder a gentle squeeze of gratitude before the paramedic returned to his patient.

Matt listened for Jessica, tried to pick up her scent, any hint of her, but each time he came up empty handed. She was supposed to be out here already. She only had to get Malcolm whereas he had to get multiple people. What was taking her so long? Unless...

Matt ran back into the flames, ignoring the worried voices of onlookers behind him. Jessica was already injured before they had parted ways. A thousand scenarios ran through his mind, none of them good.

He scaled the inside of the building, returning to the fifth floor. He moved down the abandoned hallway. He heard the creaking underfoot a second too late, the floor caving in around him. His body collided into the hard and unforgiving tile floor below, ashes and debris chasing after him. The man groaned, rolling over onto his side. Pushing himself back up, he made his way to the staircase, afraid that if he tried to climb back up through the hole the weakened floor would give way, sending him tumbling back down again.

He walked down the hallway carefully this time, making sure to give the hole a wide berth. He listened for Jessica's heartbeat, trying to find out which apartment was Malcolm's. The steady thrum came from off to the right, but it did little to alleviate his fears. Matt pushed aside the fact he could only hear Jess's heartbeat, not Malcolm's. He followed the familiar sound into Malcolm's apartment, using it to center himself and find Jessica. He shook his head, trying to clear the dizzying flames from his vision. Everything was distorted. "Jessica?" he frowned when she didn't respond. "Jess!" His boot brushed against the discarded wet rag she had been using. Damn it, where was she?! "Jess, answer me!" he yelled, his tone becoming more and more panicked by the second. His foot caught on the edge of a large beam that had fallen, causing him to land unceremoniously on the floor. Matt placed his hands underneath him to push himself back up, but his left hand rested on something soft. He traced the outline of the shape, down to the fingertips. "Jessica?!" Both hands quickly assessed the situation: Jess was unconscious, her prone form trapped underneath the smoldering beam he had just tripped over, her breathing shallow. "Shit," he patted out an ember that had sparked to life on her jeans. "Come on, wake up." He tapped her face but received no reaction. Daredevil stood up, latching his hands together under the huge column of wood, lifting with all of his might. The beam wouldn't budge. The effort caused him to take a deep breath, inhaling more smoke. He coughed loudly, unsure how much more his lungs could take. If the fire didn't kill them, the smoke would. Matt knelt down. "Jessica," he shook her. "I need your help. I can't get you out and there's no way I'm leaving you alone to die here." God forgive him for doing this, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Daredevil punched Jessica, wincing with guilt as he did so.

"Son of a bitch," Jessica wheezed. Her eyes cracked open, staring up at the flames surrounding the devil. "Ah fuck, it's finally happened. I'm in hell."

Matt chuckled, "no, but not for lack of trying."

"Bastard. You owe me...some top shelf whiskey for that shit you just pulled Murdock," she threatened weakly.

Matt smiled, "deal. But first we have to get you out of here."

Jessica's head lolled to the side, her eyes slipping closed again.

"Hey," Matt tapped her face lightly to keep her awake. "Stay with me."

"Kinda...can't go anywhere," she shot back, her gaze resting on him once more.

"Yeah, that's part of the problem. Can you lift the beam?"

Jess repositioned her arms, groaning as she pushed the massive chunk of wood up and flung it to the side. Matt reached down a hand, which Jessica accepted, hoisting her to her feet. She swayed, her eyes glazing over. "Whoa! Easy." Matt caught her, leaning her into his side. He felt her stiffen, but offer no other form of protest. Now that she was upright, the blood from the cut above her eyebrow began flowing down, into her eye and sliding over her cheek. "Where's Malcolm?" Matt asked, half-dreading the answer.

"He's not here?" she mumbled. She had scoured every inch of his apartment searching for him before the beam knocked her out.

Matt shook his head, "the only heartbeats left in this building are yours and mine."

Jessica paused, knowing that could mean one of two things: either Malcolm wasn't home during the explosion or it had already killed him. Either way, there was nothing more she could do here.

Matt read Jessica's body language, taking in the exact moment she resigned herself to whatever fate may have befallen her friend and neighbor. They hobbled towards the doorway, stopping abruptly when they heard a cracking noise from somewhere above them. "Move!" Matt yelled, pulling Jessica with him. They stumbled, managing to just barely make it out of the way of the mangled bedroom set that came crashing through the ceiling, effectively blocking their escape route.

Okay, Plan B. "This way," Jessica took the lead, ushering him towards a window. The building groaned around them, echoing in Matt's ears. They didn't have much time left.

"There's no fire escape," Matt coughed.

"Nope." Jessica kicked the window out, using Matt to steady herself. The rush of air fueled the fire around them.

"But we're still going out this way," Matt assumed.

"Yep," she answered, her eyes locked on the building across the alley. The floor began to give way beneath them. "Hold on!" Jessica clung to Matt's waist as he wrapped his arms around her. She put one foot on the windowsill, launching off of the ledge, cringing as pain raced up her injured side. They flew across the gap, breaking through the window in the building opposite them. Jessica twisted so that her body took the brunt of the fall, shattered glass raining down over them as they rolled a few yards.

Matt raised himself up on his hands and knees, looking over at Jessica as she moaned from her position. "Idiot," he muttered, checking her over. "You shouldn't have done that."

Jessica swatted his concerned hands away, "it was better than becoming super-powered pancakes."

"No, not that. I could have taken the impact," he huffed. She might be strong and heal faster than others, but she wasn't unbreakable. Add to that the fact she was already hurt before they went soaring through the air. At least he had his suit to protect him; she had nothing.

"I'll heal," she commented offhandedly.

He gave her an incredulous look, "that can't be your answer for everything."

She shrugged before thinking better of it, wincing from the motion. "For most things. For everything else, it's alcohol."

"Jessica-"

Despite her weakened state, a fire lit in her eyes that rivaled the one burning in her home. She jabbed a finger in his chest, almost knocking him flat on his ass. "Look, I'm not going to stand by and let you get yourself into deep shit again because you care about everyone else more than you do your own fucking self. And you can't even see how fucked up that is."

"Jess..."

"No. 'Saint Matthew sacrificing himself for the greater good,'" she mocked. " _I will heal_ , you won't."

"I won't leave you again Jess," Matt said softly.

Jessica growled, muttering curses under her breath. Matt knew he had struck a nerve with his actions and his words. Jessica had a hard exterior, and to most of the world, it looked like she didn't give a damn. But he knew better, he knew _her_ better. Only, he didn't know exactly how much his 'death' had affected her. And she wasn't too happy about being called out on that fact.

She sighed, laying back on the broken glass scattered on the ground. "You're still an asshole."

He smiled, "I know. And you still don't give a shit what happens to anyone."

"Damn straight," she mumbled, closing her eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Thank you all for taking the time to read this and comment. A guest review asked me how, in chapter 1, Matt's vision could have red sparks in it if he is blind. Since it was a guest review, I can't reply directly to that person so I figured I'd do it here. In the TV series, Matt describes his view of the world as a "world on fire." All of his senses combine to give him a very unique view of his surroundings. Since in my story, he is literally in a burning building, I thought it would be fun to see how that would wreak havoc with his senses and his normal world-on-fire view with actual fire. The clip from the show is also on youtube if you'd like the thorough explanation.

Enjoy & please leave a review, they make me smile :)

* * *

Chapter 3

Matt looked around the vacant apartment they had landed in. "Jess, we've gotta move. Your building could topple down onto this one." Jessica groaned in response. "Can you walk?"

Despite not being able to see the death glare being directed his way, he could still feel it. He held his arms up in surrender. "Have it your way."

Jessica pulled herself up, leaning against the wall. She hobbled slowly towards the door, Matt following close behind, waiting for the stubborn woman to stumble. They moved at a seemingly gruelingly slow pace. Matt sighed, slipping one arm around her waist. Jessica looked at him, but didn't move away. They took a few more steps before she finally accepted the help, leaning into him, Matt partially supporting her weight. Matt cocked his head to the side.

"What is it?" Jessica asked, knowing him well enough to know when he's sensed something important.

"The firefighters and the police just got here. They're parked out front."

"Then we go out the back." The members of the Defenders and the police weren't on the greatest of terms after that stunt they pulled regarding the Hand and Midland Circle. It's not like she was ever on their good side to begin with. If they saw Jessica, she doubted they would let her off that easy since the bomb was in her building of all places. Just wait until they discover it was in her apartment. "I ain't going down for this shit." They made it to the stairwell, Jessica grimacing at how many stairs she had to climb down, knowing each one would jostle her injuries. Might as well get started.

Matt read her expression and her physical condition. He pulled out his billy clubs, separating the two ends, allowing the steel cable to extend. He fastened one end to the railing.

Jessica gave him an incredulous look, "uh, no."

Matt smirked, "not all of us can jump really high Ms. Jones."

"This isn't jumping, it's falling. You should know the distinction counselor."

Matt pressed her closer into his side, her body tensing at their proximity and her heartbeat speeding up. A rumbling noise echoed nearby. Before she had another chance to protest, they were over the edge, sailing through the gap in the middle, between the stairs, the ground getting closer at an alarming rate. Jessica prepared for the jarring impact, surprised when her feet lightly touched the floor.

Matt gave her a smug smile. He tugged at his billy club, expecting it to snap back, but he must have secured it better than he thought he had. His brow furrowed underneath his mask. Jessica grabbed for the weapon, giving a hard jerk. Metal from above whined under the force of Jessica's strength. A piece of the railing clanked, ricocheting like a pinball off of the stairs, landing loudly next to the pair. The cable retracted, the two clubs connecting in the middle. Jessica raised her eyebrows in triumph, but Matt looked a little less than pleased at the bent half of his weapon. "Oops," she muttered. She twisted the metal back into position, a few dents from her hand noticeably still imprinted on it. "Close enough."

Matt wondered how he'd explain this one to Melvin.

"Jessica! Matt!" a voice yelled at the two vigilantes.

"Danny?" Matt asked, hearing the unexpected but much-welcomed familiar voice. Jessica immediately leaned away from Matt, standing on her own again, much to Matt's dismay. She didn't want to appear weak in front of anyone. He supposed he should be grateful that she allowed him to help her at all.

Danny ran up to them, "are you guys alright?"

"Peachy keen," Jessica said sarcastically.

"What are you doing here?" Matt asked, ignoring Jessica's comment.

"We came when we heard about the explosion on the news, figured you might need some help," Danny explained.

"We?" Jessica questioned, automatically picking up on that word's meaning.

"Yeah, Luke is pulling the car around to the back of the building. There's too many cops and reporters out front."

"Luke is here too?" Jessica asked, a bit surprised. She assumed the 'we' would have meant Colleen since Danny and her seem to be joined at the hip. Actually, that analogy was probably more literal than figurative more often than not.

"Yeah," Danny smiled, "we're a team," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"There goes the 't' word again," Jessica mumbled.

"Okay moving now, snark later," Matt gave Jessica a nudge which earned him a side-eyed glare.

Jessica started limping forward again. "For the record, I can do both at the same time."

"Of that I have no doubt," Matt responded exasperatedly.

Danny moved to help Jess, which she promptly shrugged him off of her. "I got this."

Matt couldn't help the smirk that grew on his face, even as he turned his head towards the floor to try to hide it. She had let him help her, but she was still as abrasive and stubborn as ever with everyone else. That had to mean something, he just wasn't sure what exactly.

Jessica knew they had to move faster, so she gritted her teeth and pushed forward. Matt winced, feeling the torn muscles strain in her leg, the fractured ribs shift in her chest, the grinding near her shoulder blade. Now that he was away from the fire and smoke, his senses were clear. He could catalogue every injury on her body. If it were anyone else, he doubted they'd be walking right now or spitting out sarcastic remarks.

"Let's go!" Luke opened the door, ushering them outside. Luke jumped in the driver's seat, Danny got in the passenger seat, and Matt helped ease Jessica into the back with himself.

"Jess, what happened?" Luke asked as he drove away from the scene, looking in the rearview mirror at the injured P.I.

"Dissatisfied customer? Bad Yelp review?" she offered unhelpfully. She sucked in a breath quickly between her teeth on a particularly rough bump.

"Sorry," Luke apologized.

"Where are we going?" Danny asked.

"My place. It's the closest." Matt focused on Jessica; as much as she was trying to act like her injuries didn't bother her, he knew she was in a lot of pain. His brow furrowed, listening to the inconsistent fluttering of her eyelashes as she opened and closed her eyes. That coupled with the blood still spilling out from a deep cut on her forehead and the fact he found her unconscious... "Jess?" Her eyelashes hadn't swept through the air in almost a minute. "Jessica?" he shook her shoulder.

"Hmm?"

"I don't think it's a good idea to sleep right now, at least not until Claire checks you out first."

"I don't think Luke wants his girlfriend 'checking me out,'" she breathed out so softly that Matt was sure he was the only one who heard it. Her comment had none of its usual bite to it; if anything, she sounded vulnerable. The remark was meant to mask a greater pain, one Matt wanted to help her with when this was all over, whatever all this was.

Danny hung up the phone with Claire, letting her know the new rendezvous point. "How is she doing Matt?"

"m'right here," she muttered, annoyed they were talking about her instead of including her in the conversation.

"I think the adrenaline rush is wearing off now that we're out of immediate danger. She's fighting to stay conscious, but I think she has a concussion from a beam that fell on her."

Jessica shifted, hissing when her shoulder rubbed against the back of the seat. Her eyes flew open, "shit."

Well, at least that seemed to wake her up.

Their car pulled up in front of Matt's building. "You two bring her upstairs, I'll meet you there." Matt couldn't exactly walk in the front door dressed as the Devil of Hell's Kitchen.

Before the others could even exit the car, Matt disappeared around the corner.

Luke helped Jessica out of the car, despite her protests that she could get out on her own. She appeared more cogniscent now, but Luke could still see a dazed look in her eyes; maybe Matt was right about a concussion. It took everything in him not to help Jessica into the building and to the elevator. He knew she could do it herself, but he wished she would realize that she didn't have to.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

All three of them entered Matt's apartment, the door already unlocked. Matt came around the corner dressed in a grey shirt and black sweatpants, holding his first aide kit. Jessica stumbled towards the couch, falling back into it as she sighed in relief before groaning at the hard impact jostling her body. He ripped open a package containing an antiseptic wipe and began carefully cleaning out the cut on Jessica's forehead. She hissed, but made no other form of complaint.

Claire entered the apartment shortly after, medical bag in hand. She set it down next to the couch. Jessica had her eyes closed, but Claire could tell she was still conscious by the shallow but hard breaths the injured woman was taking. She was focusing on controlling the pain. Claire slipped on her latex gloves. "Jess?" she asked, alerting her patient to her presence, even though she was pretty sure Jessica already knew she was there. Still, it was best not to surprise a woman with super strength who also had PTSD.

Matt moved out of Claire's way, throwing the now soiled antiseptic wipe away. She quickly got to work, attending to each injury. "What happened? I saw the explosion on the news."

"Bomb in my apartment," Jessica summed up softly.

"We're not sure as to who or why yet," Danny finished.

Claire prepared the suture, pressing the needle through one side of Jessica's head wound. "Was anyone else caught in the blast?"

"We got everyone out who was left alive in the building," Matt said, giving Jessica a knowing look. Malcolm was still missing. "There were casualties. Not sure how many."

"Call Malcolm," she muttered weakly. "Number's in my phone." She shifted slightly, reaching for her phone in her jeans. She patted her pocket, frowning when she didn't feel it. "Shit."

"Don't crease your forehead while I'm stitching you up," Claire admonished.

"Trish has his number." She paused for a moment, realization dawning on her. "Fuck. Trish. Call her. She'll be freaking out if she saw the news." Her sister had most likely tried calling her after seeing Jessica's building blow up and had gotten no response. Jessica knew she'd be panicking if their roles were reversed.

"I've got her number," Luke said, pulling out his phone.

Jessica had to try really hard not to furrow her brow as to why Luke had her sister's number.

"What about your ribs?" Claire asked as she finished the stitches, noticing how careful Jessica was being when she had reached for her nonexistent phone earlier.

"Either fractured or broken," Jessica replied.

"Fractured," Matt said.

"Weirdo."

Matt smirked at Jessica's familiar remark. "There's also something wrong near her shoulder blade. I don't recognize the exact sound, but it's like a scraping noise, as if something is stuck in there."

"She's okay Trish," Luke could be heard saying. "Her phone was lost in the explosion. She told me to call you knowing you'd be worried...No, we haven't heard from him. That's the other reason I'm calling. Do you have Malcolm's number? Jess is trying to get a hold of him...I don't know...We're at Matt Murdock's place, Claire is treating her...She'll be alright. Thanks Trish."

Jessica's eyes suddenly rolled up in her head, her head lolling to the side. "Whoa, Jess? Jessica! I need you to stay awake." Claire tapped the side of her face gently, noticing the stark contrast between her fingers and Jessica's paler-than-usual cheek.

Jessica's eyes fluttered open. "Mmm-hmm." All of her limbs felt so heavy, even her eyelids seemed weighed down.

"She was doing this in the car too," Matt supplied.

"What's going on?" Danny asked concerned.

"What's her blood pressure?" Claire asked Matt, knowing he could take it a lot quicker than her machine could.

He listened closely, his facial features giving him away. "About 82/56, but her heart rate has sped up."

"What's her blood pressure supposed to be?" Danny asked, not liking the looks on his friends' faces.

"120/80. Increased heart rate but she still has low blood pressure? Has she been dizzy? Light headed? Slurring words? Losing consciousness? Stumbling?"

"All of it," Matt replied.

"How long has she had these symptoms?"

"It's been off and on since she got hit in the head with a support beam and was knocked out. It's gotten worse since her adrenaline wore off in the car. I assumed her symptoms were due to a concussion but with the hypotension and increased heart rate..."

Claire pushed the hem of Jessica's shirt up but was met with resistance, her patient's breathing suddenly rapid and shallow. Luke shook his head at her, knowing Jessica's history with Kilgrave. Jessica's eyes were cloudy, like she wasn't completely aware of her surroundings anymore. That coupled with her sexual assault history made for dangerous consequences inside her mind. Claire removed her hands at her boyfriend's insistence. Out of everyone gathered in this room, he knew Jessica best.

Luke knelt down next to her. "Jess, you're safe. You're with friends. Claire just needs to check your abdomen. It's only Claire."

Jessica nodded, squinting her eyes shut against the sudden dizziness that threatened to overwhelm her from the motion. Her hand slid along the couch, searching for Luke's. He met her halfway. She gripped tightly, using him to ground herself. "I'm right here," he reassured her.

Luke gestured to Claire to continue. She leaned forward, moving slower this time so as not to startle her. Startling Jessica was normally a bad idea, but in her current state of mind, it could prove to be a deadly mistake. Jessica tensed up, but didn't move away. Her hand tightened against Luke's. His thumb rubbed over the back of her hand soothingly.

Claire lifted Jessica's shirt up, seeing the problem immediately. "Damn it." Purple and blue covered Jessica's left side. She pressed two fingers repeatedly in different areas of the bruising, feeling the abnormal rigid tightness of Jessica's side. "She's bleeding internally. She's going into shock."

"How do we fix it?" Matt asked urgently. Her vitals were continuing to worsen. The sound of it was getting to him. He wasn't going to stand by and listen as her body shut down and she died. She was calling him names only moments ago, how had things gotten so drastic so fast?

" _We_ don't. She needs surgery, she needs a hospital. This isn't something I can just patch up on your couch. And it's not something she'll be able to heal from, at least not in time."

Luke looked back to Jessica, all of his feelings for her resurfacing. He may be with Claire now, but that didn't mean that he had stopped caring about Jessica. In a way, he would always love her. Her eyes had slid closed again. "Jess? Jess!" He shook her, but she wasn't waking up this time. "Whatever we need to do, we better do it fast!"

"I'll do it," Danny stepped forward, his face firm and confident in his decision.

Claire turned to him, "Danny, I can't ask you to do that."

"You're not asking, I'm offering."

Luke and Matt were trying to figure out what the other two were talking about. What was Danny offering to do? Drive them to the hospital? But then why would Claire refuse that when it was the exact thing she said they needed to do?

"We're not even sure if you can! Last time it was just poison. This is much bigger." He had been able to burn away Colleen's poison, but they were talking about mending someone's organs.

"I might not be able to," he admitted, "but I'm sure as hell going to try." This was his team, these were his friends. Like Gao said, maybe he had finally found his family. And he wasn't about to lose anyone from it. It was hard enough when they had thought they lost Matt in the building collapse. He wasn't going to go through that again.

"Okay," she relented. Jessica needed help now, and this was their best bet. There was no guarantee the surgery would be successful nor was there a guarantee they would make it to the hospital in time. "But only what's causing the bleeding. The rest will heal at a faster rate anyways."

"Life threatening injuries only, got it." Claire got up, allowing Danny room. He knelt down, taking a deep breath, holding his fist in front of him. He focused on drawing his chi into his hand. Slowly, it began to glow.

"Danny, what-" Luke started to ask but was quickly shushed by Claire. She knew Luke was confused as to what Danny was doing; to him, it probably looked like he was getting ready to punch Jessica. That's all Luke had ever seen the Iron Fist used for. But Danny needed to concentrate right now. There would be time for explanations later.

Danny stretched out his fingers, placing his hand directly above the discoloration on Jessica's stomach. He closed his eyes, reaching out to find Jessica's chi. He locked onto it, pushing even further to focus on her injuries. There was so many that needed attention, but he needed to heal whatever had ruptured inside of her first. Images of muscle tissue, pulsing veins, a struggling heart, and barely expanding lungs flashed behind his eyelids. Finally he pinpointed the cause of the bleeding, honing in on it. He pushed his chi into Jessica's body, the golden tendrils working their way to the source of the problem. They linked together, reconnecting tissue and rebuilding the wall of her damaged liver by regenerating cells.

Jessica groaned, squirming uncomfortably on the couch as she instinctively tried to escape the agony. Danny's face held a grimace full of pain and concentration, sweat beading on his face. Matt's jaw dropped slightly, listening as Danny's chi forced Jessica's body to heal faster than it ever had before. Luke's eyes grew wide, unsure of what he was witnessing.

"Please let this work," Claire whispered.

Danny pushed harder, repairing broken blood vessels. His chi sought out the leaked blood and bile, burning it away as it sizzled inside her. Jessica writhed, her back arching off the couch at the fire searing through her abdomen.

Claire put a hand on Luke's arm when he took a step forward, "I promise you, he's helping her."

"Doesn't look like it," Luke countered. Logically, he knew Danny would never do anything to hurt them. Well, besides that one time they sidelined him and he tried to fight his way out. But that was before they really knew each other, before they were a real team, a family of sorts. This was different, this was life and death.

Matt cocked his head to the side, listening in amazement. "No, he is. He's...healing her."

Luke glanced at Matt before returning his gaze to Jessica, her back falling into the cushions.

With her most serious injury taken care of, Danny branched out his chi even further. Jessica sustained so many, if he could heal just a few of them…

"He's not stopping," Matt announced.

Danny gritted his teeth, his body begging him to stop, but he couldn't. Just a little bit more…

"Damn it," Claire muttered. She gently grabbed Danny's shoulder, "Danny, you did it. You've got to stop or else you'll be the one needing a hospital." He only grunted in response. In his mind, that would not be a good enough reason to stop. Claire sighed, Colleen would kill her if Danny went too far. Claire kneeled down to him. "She's going to be okay," she said softly, "you need to let go."

Danny severed the connection he had with Jessica, pulling away abruptly while gasping.

Matt rushed back to Jessica's side. "Jessica?" He brushed the hair away from her face, fingers making contact with the cold sweat clinging to her skin. He received no response.

Danny leaned his back against the armchair, taking deep breaths. Claire kept her hand on him while Luke crouched down on his other side. Claire tilted her head downward to meet Danny's eyes, "you okay?"

He nodded, "just exhausted."

"Good," Claire smacked him, "next time don't be a dumbass!"

Danny chuckled. His gaze landing on Jessica's still prone form. "Is she okay?"

Matt smiled, relief evident in his voice, "her vitals are stablizing."

Claire rechecked Jessica's abdomen. The bruising was gone. She let out a deep breath, leaning back next to Danny. "It worked."

Luke's gaze shifted from Jessica back to Danny, "would someone care to tell me what the hell just happened?"


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: I haven't given up on this story. I had to take time away to deal with my own health issues as well as those of my family. It's been rough, still is, but I want to start writing again, for you all and for myself. Your comments always make me smile. And I want to say in advance, for those of you who have waited this long for an update and are still sticking with this story, thank you. It means a lot to me.

I did one thing at the beginning of the year though that I'm still stoked about! I actually drove 7 hours back in January to go to a comic convention to meet Krysten Ritter and Charlie Cox! They were so sweet. I got photo ops and autographs and my fangirl heart was beating like crazy. And as an added bonus, David Tennant was there too. They're the reason I drove so far for this, otherwise I never would have made that trip if they weren't going. They were flattered when I told them so. Okay, I will stop there or else I'll end up spending this whole chapter telling you about them and their panels. Happy reading!

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Chapter 5

Matt sat in a fold out chair next to his bed, listening to the comforting sounds of Jessica's rhythmic heartbeat and breaths, reassuring him that she was alive and would be alright. After Danny had used his abilities to heal the worst of her injuries, Luke had carried Jessica to Matt's bedroom to rest at Matt's insistence. Danny moved to the couch, utterly drained but looking relieved. Claire mentioned how he had passed out the last and only other time he had done this, the toll it had taken on him. Danny needed rest and food in order to rebuild his strength. After noticing how empty the kitchen was, Luke looked up the nearest pizzeria, ordering dinner for everyone.

Matt gently picked up Jessica's hand closest to him, gripping it in his own, his thumb resting over her wrist. The feel of her pulse, the blood rushing through her veins, calmed him. He partially blamed himself for her condition. He never should have let her stay in that building to find Malcolm. He was lucky to have found her when he did. Normally luck would have nothing to do with it, but with the acrid smoke filling his sensitive nostrils, the crackling of flames all around him, the intense heat singeing the hair on his skin, it created a dizzying and confusing view, screwing with his perception of the world. He could have very easily walked into the wrong apartment. The sound of her heartbeat could have been overridden by the roaring of the fire.

Matt's ears picked up the slight change in Jessica's breathing. The skin at the corners of her eyes crinkled softly. Her heart rate suddenly increased, the rapid pounding echoing in his ears, her muscles tensing. His eyebrows furrowed, unsure what was causing this reaction. Jessica's eyes shot open, yanking her hand out of Matt's grip. He could feel the intense glare she was sending his way. "Jess?" he asked hesitantly. Her whole body was humming with adrenaline. He held his hands up in surrender. "It's me, Matt."

Jessica's chest heaved as she fought to control her breathing and calm her racing heart. "Murdock," she breathed. When had woken up in an unfamiliar bed with expensive sheets and a man's hand holding her own... She closed her eyes momentarily in relief before focusing in on Matt's confused and worried expression. "Jesus." She leaned back in the bed. Placing a hand on her forehead, she struggled to remember how she ended up in a strange bed with Matt sitting beside her.

"Are you okay?" Matt asked, not understanding what had just happened.

"Mmm," she lowered her hand back to the bed. "How did I get here?"

Matt didn't miss Jessica's evasive question, but he would honor her wishes for now. "How much do you remember?"

"I was working on a case at my desk, then there was a huge explosion...fire." She turned towards Matt, "you were there." She sounded puzzled, "why were you there?"

"I heard the bomb go off and recognised the area it came from. I figured you were somehow involved." And injured. He left out how terrified he was that the bomb was meant for her, that he would be too late to get to her. That he would stumble upon her charred body, burned beyond recognition.

She scoffed, "yeah, that's usually the case," she agreed sardonically. "Malcolm!" she bolted up, leaning on her elbow, cringing as pain scorched through her shoulder blade. She groaned, falling back into the bed.

"Easy!" Matt stood up quickly, his chair scooting backwards. His hands hovered over her, unsure if he should touch her due to her reaction when she first woke up. "You're still healing."

Jessica reached a hand behind herself, feeling the scratchy material of the gauze taped to her shoulder blade.

"There was a large piece of glass stuck in your back," Matt answered her unspoken question. "Claire got it out. There were a lot of smaller pieces she pulled out as well."

"From jumping through the window," she mused out loud, her memories returning to her. "We never found Malcolm."

"No, we didn't. We tried calling him but there was no answer. I'm sorry Jess, I wish I had more to tell you," he answered sadly.

"I've got to find him," Jessica flung the sheets to the side, attempting to sit up again.

"Whoa!" This time Matt did place his hands on her shoulders, gently pushing her back down, knowing in the back of his mind that if Jessica really wanted to get up, there would be nothing he could do to stop her. "You're in no condition to be going out right now!"

"Watch me," she challenged, continuing to get up despite Matt's best efforts. She gasped in pain, her ribs screaming at her, grimacing as she forced herself to push through it.

"Jessica!" he shouted, his feet skidding along the floor as he tried to hold her in bed. "You need to rest!"

"Super healing Murdock, I'll be fine," she rebutted.

"You almost died!" he shouted the confession in desperation.

Jessica's movements halted. "What?"

"You almost died," he repeated at a lower volume.

"The explosion? I figured the bomb was meant to take me out but-"

"You had internal bleeding," Matt interrupted her softly. "You kept passing out, couldn't stay awake, your heart and breathing were erratic, you could barely pick your head up, you couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't…"

Jessica settled back into the bed. "But I'm still alive." Jessica could see the anguish in Matt's expression and hear it in his voice. "Matt, what aren't you telling me?"

"I could _hear_ it."

"Hear what?"

Matt's face twisted in a way Jessica wished she could erase from her mind, "I could hear your blood leaking, I could hear it poisoning you, I could hear your organs shutting down...I could hear you dying."

Jessica couldn't bare to look at Matt any longer, feeling very uncomfortable with the level of emotion he was showing towards her. She bit her bottom lip. "Yeah well, wouldn't be the first time," she muttered. She pushed the conversation back towards the facts, "we obviously didn't go to the hospital, so how am I still alive?"

"Danny."

That caught Jessica off guard. "Danny? Danny...did what? Please no mystical ninja shit."

That got Matt to smile, "oh it was definitely mystical. He used his fist on you."

"He what?!" Jessica was suddenly more alert.

"No," Matt backtracked, "he used the powers of the Iron Fist, the glowing in his hand. He used it to heal you."

Jessica raised her eyebrows, "since when can boy wonder do that?"

"Apparently he's only ever done it once before, for Colleen. He wasn't sure if he could do it again but he wanted to try. It takes a lot out of him. He was sweating and exhausted by the time he was done."

Jessica wrapped her arms around herself. Danny thought she was worth saving? Even if that meant he had to go through pain himself? The only other person he had done this for was his girlfriend; Danny put her on a similar pedestal as Colleen? No way could the value of her life be on pars with Colleen's.

So then why would Danny put himself at risk just to save her? It's not like they were really close; more often than not she was rude to him. It didn't make sense.

Matt could tell Jessica was having an internal conflict, but not what it was about. He assumed it had something do with his last words. "He's okay if that's what you're worried about."

Jessica hummed in agreement. It was much easier to let Matt think that was the problem than to put words to how she was really feeling. "I guess I should be nicer to him then huh?"

Matt scoffed, "then he would really think something is wrong with you."

"Asshole."

"Much better," he smirked. He rose from his chair, "Luke ordered pizza for everyone. The delivery guy is walking down the hall. I'll bring us back a few slices."

"I'm not hungry," Jessica predictably refused the offer.

"Well then I'll grab some for me. I'll be right back."

Jessica wanted to say he didn't have to, that he shouldn't feel obligated to keep her company, that she'd rather be alone. But none of those words left her mouth because she found herself actually wanting him to come back. She liked having him around. It was a new and unexpected revelation, one she didn't want to dwell on too much at the moment. "Okay."

"I'm glad you're alright," he told her.

She guessed she had him and Danny to thank for that. And probably Claire too. Okay fine and Luke. "Thanks for coming back for me."

He smiled, "you would have done the same for me." He slid the door closed behind him to give her some privacy, missing the way Jessica's fell at his offhanded comment.

Jessica's heart skipped a beat, knowing Matt could most likely hear it even through the door. ' _You would have done the same for me…'_ His words echoed in her mind. _But I didn't Matt, I didn't come back for you. I left you to die…_

Hot tears pricked at her eyes. Her heartache turned to anger rapidly, anger at herself. She had been about to run back into Midland Circle when the bombs had suddenly gone off, sending the building straight down into the hole, the whole thing crumbling and burrying Matt alive. And she had just left him there. She hadn't gone back for him, like he had for her. She didn't deserve him.


End file.
